


Healthy (or Unhealthy?) Coping Mechanisms

by completelypeanuts



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:00:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26394538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/completelypeanuts/pseuds/completelypeanuts
Summary: Scott's best friend was going to make Derek's team gain 10 pounds in pastries and baked goods, and they hadn't even met him.
Relationships: Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Comments: 2
Kudos: 236





	Healthy (or Unhealthy?) Coping Mechanisms

Scott's best friend was going to make Derek's team gain 10 pounds in pastries and baked goods, and they hadn't even met him.

Granted, this was only an intramural lacrosse team, and the stakes were never high. But they were the _best_ team on campus. Derek had worked hard over the past couple months as captain recruiting and training his team while working on his PhD. Lacrosse was his coping mechanism as he worked hours and hours on his thesis. 

On the defense were Allison, Malia, and Isaac with Boyd as goalie.

On the offense were Cora, Danny, and Kira.

Midfield included Derek, Erica, and Scott.

Scott had joined because of his then girlfriend, Allison. Somehow or another, Allison was now with Isaac and Scott was with Kira. He stopped paying attention a while ago. He thought he'd left the drama back in high school. Don't get him wrong. He liked his team. He really did, but relationships had caused some drama that he worked so hard to stay out of.

Even worse, Scott over the past couple weeks had started bringing in baked goods at least once a week, anything from cookies to brownies and muffins and pastries and more. 

"It's a thing my roommate used to do with his mom before she died," he explained one day. "Stiles bakes when he's stressed or depressed. Or anxious. Or when he misses her. So basically, all of the time. They just sit in our apartment until me or Kira take them to our friends. Or he eats them. All."

He then proceeded to give a sad smile that Derek could not even argue against when he had asked for an explanation. So there was nothing to do but watch as his team descended like vultures on Scott with his tray. In the end, he gave in. He always gave in.

He stood there and ate his sad, delicious muffin. He'd yet to meet this roommate, but if there was anything he could relate to, it was missing parents and healthy (or unhealthy) coping mechanisms. He had a hard time being happy for people, but he found it so, so easy to be sad for and with people.

(He made himself run an extra mile for the second muffin he ate)

He knew in theory that Stiles attended their games, but he never stuck around long enough to meet him. He never gave this a second thought until Scott had mentioned this little fact. Their next game, while the team headed off to the lockers in victory, he asked Scott if he could meet Stiles.

Scott gave him a considering look, then simply said, "Plaid, beanie, and glasses," as he pointed towards the first row in the stands and walked away.

Derek walked up to the stands and immediately saw the plaid and top of the beanie. Stiles was looking down at his phone. 

"Stiles?" he asked.

"Gimme a second, Scotty. I'm just trying to figure exactly how baking soda creates carbon dioxide because apparently it creates little air pockets and baking powder is just baking soda plus acids cornstarch, but I wonder if I can make baking powder myself. Anyways, that was quick. Are you not gonna shower?"

The rapid-fire answer barely gave Derek a second to think. "Uhhhhh."

"Are you getting sick again? I told you.. Ok, gimme a second, I'm just gonna save this... I TOLD you... uhhh..." Stiles looked up from his phone with wide eyes, "You're not Scott, oh my God. Oh, Derek! Hi! Sorry! I, uhh," he stood, "Hi. Sorry about that. You're not here to scold me about the pastries are you? I'm sorry, I told Scott he was enabling me by taking all the pastries. If I don't see the counters full, I end up baking some more. Either that or I end up eating them all by myself anyways, which let me tell you does not help when you're a stress eater... but anyways, hi."

He looked expectant, and Derek just found himself blinking as he processed everything. He doesn't know what he had been expecting, but he had not been prepared for Stiles to be this... _adorkable_. He was tall, thin, cute, definitely his type, and most importantly, still waiting for a reply from Derek.

"Stiles, I'm Derek. But.. You already knew that."

"Oh yeah!" Stiles exclaimed, "Scotty talks about the team all the time, and as captain of the team, you're kinda hard to miss. Not that I'm not trying to look at you! Or that I'm not trying to _not_ look at you. Ok, I'm going to shut up now."

"I don't know what just happened," was the only thing Derek could say.

"Sorry, yeah dude, I tend to have that effect on people," Stiles replied.

"I, uh, actually just came by to thank you for the pastries Scott's been bringing," Derek finally got out.

And Stiles lit up, "Oh yeah! No problem dude, really. You guys are helping me because otherwise I would really eat them all by myself. Do you-"

"Do you want to go out with me?" Derek blurts out. And immediately, sees Stiles' eyes widen in surprise. Oh God, did he already mess this up? He didn't mean to be so forward, but Stiles looks like the type of guy he would fall hard and fast for. 

Instead, Stiles surprises him, "Oh! Really!! I mean, are you sure? Like, wow I am beyond flattered right now. This was not in any of my plans to woo you.... but we are not going to talk about that right now because I haven't even given you an answer. So yeah! Totally! I mean... yes," he clears his throat," Derek, I would love to go out with you."

And the smile he gives Derek looks so sweet and genuine that Derek can't even believe to comprehend how he went from meeting a guy and asking him out within a couple sentences. He's broken. He's faulty. He's going to fail out of school. But he can't even really concentrate on that when Stiles is looking back at him the way he is.

Normally, words fail him, and he takes to withdrawing from conversations to cope. But maybe, just maybe...

Those 10 pounds are going to be worth it.


End file.
